School lunch is all about balance

Rawlins Daily Times, Jerret Raffety

Rawlins High School student Colton Eggleston looked at his selections from the school's cafeteria — mashed potatoes in hamburger gravy and two rolls — on Tuesday. Some cafeteria staff say the meals are healthy when students take advantage of all that's available, but some students say they want more options in cafeteria food.


By Janice Kurbjun
Times staff writer

Making school lunches is a balance between what the kids want and what the kids need.

“I’d rather them eat something rather than eat nothing,” said Donna Taylor, Carbon County School District 1 lunch program director, who tries to incorporate decades-old U.S. Department of Agriculture food guidelines into a tight food budget.

In her 20th year of creating lunches for students, Taylor tries hard to make lunches that are suitable for them. In terms of keeping the kids healthy, she thinks she’s successful. Particularly when the kids would rather go to Taco John’s or McDonald’s than hit the cafeteria.

“The kids are fast-food prone around here,” she said.

Thus, the idea of serving Domino’s pizza three times a week was born, something that has received matching praise and criticism from students. Some think its the only edible thing on the menu, while others nearly gag when they think about their Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with the pies.

“I don’t think pizza falls under the healthy category,” said freshman Shannon Neal. If she and Justin Burgess could leave campus for lunch, they would. But unlike many of their peers, they would head home or to the grocery store.

With more than 1,000 kids to serve daily, Taylor faces a roadblock that her staff in Baggs can avoid. Taylor has to decide what will hold over several hours of lunches and in transit to the Sinclair Elementary School. On the other hand, LeAnn Adams at the Little Snake River Valley School can provide fresh, home-cooked meals to her crowd of around 100.

On pizza days, which are few and far between for the kids in Baggs, Adams admits she spoils the children.

“It’s homemade,” she said. “I avoid putting butter in the pans, I stay away from whole cheese and use real tomatoes.” To meet USDA guidelines for protein, she sometimes adds meats.

While Taylor often relies on state-subsidized products like chicken nuggets, patties and hamburger — all of which meet state health guidelines and are selected from taste tests — Adams tries her best to avoid simply popping frozen burritos into the oven for a quick serve.
Instead, she works throughout the morning to produce ham fried rice or chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles.

“It’s a lot of work for even just a small school,” she said.

Fitting it all into the budget is hard work as well. When the accounts payable for the district lists a payment of more than $5,000 to Domino’s, questions appear. Taylor says she counteracts the 50 cents per pizza slice with fruits and vegetables that cost two cents per serving.

Her goal is to keep the daily cost of food less than $2 per meal. But, she said, that’s getting difficult when, for instance, the cost of flour has nearly tripled since the beginning of the school year.

Taylor brings the students into the equation alongside the state guidelines. Last year, middle school students visited the kitchen with self-created menus. Taylor reviewed her budget and health restrictions before asking them to read their menus. She then helped them decide which of their menus was feasible.

“It’s usually part of the health program,” Taylor said. “(The visit) led to the salad bar and lowering the number of times we serve pizza at the middle school.”


Opinions vary

Of a sampling of Rawlins High School students, the majority can think of better foods to eat than what they get in the cafeteria.

“I wish we had more options,” said freshman Allen Jennings. “I eat it because I’m hungry.”
Most of the students who stick around for lunch at the high school agreed. Some freshmen, like Zack Nelson, wished for meals that better resembled home cooking.

While the reactions were mixed on whether pizza three times a week was acceptable, few reacted to the other options offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Except freshman Sabrina Homewood, who thinks School Lunch Program Director Donna Taylor’s hamburgers are “pretty good.”

Still, there is criticism. Freshman Justin Burgess thought the state guidelines should be updated. Upperclassman Sukhi Kaur wants there to be more variety and quantity. “The freshmen eat it all,” she said. “There’s nothing left by the time we get there.”

Taylor said her meals are healthy when students take advantage of all the options. “Some do and some don’t,” she said. “It’s their choice.” On Tuesday, one student illustrated her point when he wandered out of the cafeteria with a tray stocked with mashed potatoes drenched in hamburger gravy and two rolls.